⚡Writing is thinking, amplifying women on LinkedIn, and "No is a complete sentence."
Highlights from this week on LinkedIn
Hey gang. I’m experimenting with writing Saturday posts that are a digest of some of what I’ve shared on LinkedIn over the past week. I’d love to hear what you think. Is this something you’d value? Let me know :). Also, be sure to follow me and Mighty Forces on LinkedIn for fresh content and inspiration every weekday.
1. Time to write = time to think
I always tell my clients, writing is thinking — and this week, I came across a video in which the head of the University of Chicago’s writing program, Larry McEnerney, exquisitely articulates this — and the idea that we write to change the way other readers see the world. It’s well worth the 4-minute watch.
You can also read my response to the video, in which I muse that an unheralded value of writing so-called “thought leadership” content is that it makes you strengthen your thinking, ultimately making you a stronger spokesperson for the things you care about.
2. Client shout-out: Suzanne Ehlers
My client Suzanne Ehlers, executive director and CEO of USA for UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, just launched a Q&A series with the women leaders in her (extensive, inspiring, mission-driven) network. Her mission: to amplify women’s leadership on LinkedIn. THIS IS SUCH A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH YOUR PLATFORM. I also admire that her first Q&A is with herself, because, as she explains, it’s no fair asking other people to do something she wouldn’t do herself. Follow Suzanne to discover amazing women leaders, as well as for her wise, curious, compassionate insights on leadership and more.
3. No, period, end of sentence.
No is a complete sentence." I keep running into this wisdom. It's come up a couple of times on Julia Louis Dreyfus's "Wiser than Me" podcast (listen to her interview with Carol Burnett, it's a treat). It's one of those things that seems so obvious and yet continues to offer instruction.
The art below is by Sophie Corrigan and I found it on the Society6 website and fell in love. It adorns my iPhone cover. I adore it, and I forget about it, and then people start giggling mid-conversation with me and they say, "Sorry, I just love your phone cover."
Maybe you need this phone cover, or another item from Society6 with this art upon it, to help you remember that (a) "No" is a complete sentence and (b) saying "No" can actually be... fun.
Incidentally, on Corrigan’s website, she explains that Honest Blob (the character depicted above) “is an accidental creation, based on how I naturally depict people in my sketchbook when I want to quickly get down ideas.” Which reminds me of one of my favorite books, which my friend Kendra Cooke introduced me to, called Beautiful Oops, which teaches that “every mistake is a chance to make something beautiful.”
Wishing you a weekend of beautiful oopses.
Your pal,
Amanda